Design Thinking and Empowerment of Students in Trinidad and Tobago

Authors

  • Lesley-Ann Noel Stanford University, North Carolina State University
  • Tsai Lu Liu North Carolina State University
  • Traci Rose Rider North Carolina State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18733/cpi29503

Abstract

This article highlights a study in which critical pedagogy was introduced through design thinking strategies to primary school students in rural Trinidad and Tobago. By encouraging interactive discussions between students and instructors, the overarching objective was achieved. In order to build students’ critical awareness, agency and empowerment, during three weeks in a summer camp, the students and instructors engaged actively, in repeated dialogues concerning student rights, media bias, change, and utopian ideas for a better future. As the process unfolded, the students took more control of their learning. They identified and suggested solutions for community problems. The case study demonstrated that student-centred strategies which foster critical awareness and development of social consciousness, can be successfully implemented in schools with limited resources.

Author Biographies

Lesley-Ann Noel, Stanford University, North Carolina State University

Lesley-Ann Noel, completed her PhD in Design at North Carolina State University in 2018. Her doctoral research focused on design thinking at a rural primary school in Trinidad and Tobago. She also holds a Master’s degree in business administration from the University of the West Indies and a Bacharelado (equivalent to Bachelor’s degree) in industrial design from Universidade Federal do Paraná. Dr. Noel is a former Fulbright Scholar and lecturer at the University of the West Indies, St. Augustine Campus in Trinidad and Tobago.

As the Associate Director for Design Thinking for Social Impact, and Professor of Practice, Dr. Noel teaches design thinking courses for the Social Innovation and Social Entrepreneurship Minor. Dr. Noel was part of the 2018-2019 Ocean Design Teaching Fellowship, a cohort of fellows that brought deep experiences in design, ocean science and international policy. The Ocean Design Teaching Fellow program is co-hosted with the Stanford School, where she also served as a lecturer. In her professional practice, she draws on the fields of design, anthropology, business and education to create product development and business strategy with stakeholders. Dr. Noel focuses on developing design curriculum for non-traditional audiences and promoting the work of designers outside of Europe and North America.

Tsai Lu Liu, North Carolina State University

Tsai Lu Liu, Professor of Industrial Design, is the Head of the Department of Graphic Design and Industrial Design at the College of Design at NC State University, USA. Before teaching industrial design, Professor Liu managed new product/service design and marketing for 12 years in the toy, healthcare, gaming, semiconductor, and communication industries. . In 2012, Professor Liu joined NC State University’s College of Design. As a Department Head, he is responsible for the academic and administrative successes of the undergraduate Graphic Design and Industrial Design programs, the graduate Graphic Design program, and the graduate Industrial Design program. The recipient of the Southern Governors’ Association’s Innovator Award and an NC State service/extension award, Professor Liu has also received several outstanding teaching awards.

Traci Rose Rider, North Carolina State University

Dr. Traci Rose Rider received her professional B. of Architecture degree from the University of Cincinnati and her Master’s degree in Human-Environment Relations with a focus on Environmental Sociology from Cornell University. Her doctoral degree focusing on the integration of sustainability within formal design education was granted from the College of Design at North Carolina State University. As Assistant Professor of Architecture, Doctor of Design faculty, and PhD Faculty at North Carolina State University’s College of Design, her research has focused on the relationship between the design culture and the notion of sustainability, exploring factors impacting environmental attitudes of designers, including: environmental education, learned associations, and informal influences.

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Published

2019-12-18

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 3 (2019): Caribbean Pelau

Section

Articles